Security firms hired to work in Victoria's hotel quarantine system were required to provide their own staff with protective equipment, a court has been told.
WorkSafe charged the Department of Health in September 2021 with 58 breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, after a 15-month investigation.
A five-week committal hearing is underway for Magistrate Simon Zebrowski to determine if there's sufficient evidence to support a conviction on the charges.
Former MSS Security risk advisor Charles Hooper on Monday told the hearing the company was required to provide protective equipment to guards working at the five quarantine hotels.
During his evidence to Melbourne Magistrates Court, Mr Hooper said MSS hotel supervisors would contact him if they were running low on masks, gloves and other equipment and he would then personally deliver the items.
Guards were taught about protective equipment, social distancing, hand hygiene and other COVID-safe measures during a mandatory online training module, Mr Hooper said.
The federal government-run module was the only official COVID-19 training the guards had, the court was told.
WorkSafe alleges the Department of Health failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks arising from conduct of its undertaking.
It's also alleged the department failed to provide and maintain an environment as safe and without risk to health for its employees.
The department was responsible between March and July 2020 for the state's first hotel quarantine program.
The court was told 90 per cent of cases in the state's deadly second wave were traced back to six guards, a healthcare worker and an employee who contracted the virus at the Rydges hotel and another 10 per cent were traced back to 26 guards and a department employee based at the Stamford.
The second wave resulted in more than 18,000 new infections, 800 deaths and a lockdown that lasted 112 days.
WorkSafe alleges the department breached occupational health and safety laws by failing to appoint people with infection prevention and control expertise at the hotels it was using.
It also alleges the department failed to provide security guards with face-to-face, expert infection prevention control training and written instructions on how to use personal protective equipment.
Department employees, government staff on secondment and security guards were put at risk of contracting COVID-19 from an infected traveller, colleague or contaminated surfaces, WorkSafe alleges.
If found guilty, the department faces a possible total fine of more than $95 million.
